Mechanical sounding alarm for door or window openings



y 18, 1954 R. BELANOFF 2,678,622

MECHANICAL SOUNDING ALARM FOR DOOR OR WINDOW OPENINGS Filed March 31, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

Patented May 18, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANECAL SOUNDING ALARM FOR DOOR OR WINDOW OPENINGS Robert Belanofi, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 31, 1952, Serial No. 279,634

2 Claims.

of a door or window by intruders by producin a sounding warning of such intrusion.

Another object is to have a mechanically operated sounding device that is set off by the, opening of a door or window that is equipped with the invention, so that when such door or window is even slightly opened, the device will sound an alarm.

A further object is to have such a sounding device that is proof against tampering or stoppage by an intruder after gaining access to the premises where the device is located.

It is also an object to provide a sounding device or alarm that is mechanically operated and readily set for operation by a householder, and which promptly begins to sound when the door or window guarded by the same begins to be opened from the outside.

An ancillary object is to have such an alarm device that may be wound up mechanically so that no electric wires or the like extend from the same in accessible position to be cut by an intruder.

An object is likewise to have a compact mechanical alarm or signal device that may be mounted on the frame of a door or window that is to be guarded thereby, so as to be a permanent fixture adjacent to the opening of the door or window involved.

It is, of course a practical object to make such a sounding device in simple form at reasonable cost in order to encourage wide distribution on the market.

Other objects and advantages will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of my invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an alarm device made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form, the device being shown as mounted upon the frame of a window;

Figure 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the alarm mechanism of the device of Figure 1 with the casing removed;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device of Figure 1 with the major portion of the operative mechanism indicated in broken lines and part of the casing removed with the upper portion of the mechanism shown in full lines; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the invention as mounted upon the frame of a door to guard the latter.

Throughout the views, the same reference 1.- numerals indicate the same or like parts.

' door by prying open either one or the other.

Sometimes this happens even if the doors and windows of a house are provided with electric burglar alarms, the intruder often succeeding in cutting wires and rendering such alarms ineffective. Other alarms may also be silenced by the intruder in various ways because they are immediately accessible in all respects, once he has gained entrance to the house.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that burglar alarms and warning devices for doors and windows should be of mechanical nature to avoid dependence on exposed electric wiring, and of compact self-contained construction concealing the operating members within a casing in inaccessible position. As a result of such consideration, I have succeeded in producing a special mechanical sounding alarm for a door or window opening as already outlined, which I shall now proceed to describe in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring also again to the drawing, the window frame 5 (Figure 1) has a vertically slidable sash 6 with the pane 7 and guide strip 8 in the frame for guiding the sash in movement. Upon the window frame is mounted an alarm casing 9 having two attachment lugs l9 and H secured in place by screws I2 and 13. From one side of this casing extends a crank lever I4 having an end roller l5, engaging against the window sash B a distance above the window sill [6. In the top of the casing is a hinged lid I1 opening on hinge I8 and provided with a lock IQ for engaging with the top 20 of the casing and capable of being opened or closed with a key 2|, this lid l1 giving access to the mechanism within the casing, through top opening 22. Within the casing, crank lever It has its horizontal portion 23 mounted for partial rotation and provided with a rigidly attached vane or lug 24 that normally holds down the upper end 25 of a vertically movable trigger 26 slidably supported in a bracket 21 secured to the rear portion 28 of the casing 9.

Upon trigger 26 is mounted a compression spring 29 resting on the lower limb 30 of the bracket 21 beneath a locking lug 3| fixed on the trigger so as to move therewith. Below this lug is mounted a rockable escapement lever 32 having a pivot mounting 33 at its upper end with a fiat locking member 34 projecting beneath the lug 3| in effective position to be engaged thereby when the trigger is manually depressed by a finger 35, for example. Upon the lever 32 is fixed the escapement bracket 36 co-operating with a sprocket 3'! rotatable with a pinion 38 meshing with a spring driven gear 39 on rotatably mounted winding shaft 48. On shaft 48 is mounted a wind up spring 4| in more or less conventional manner, the outer end of the spring being secured to a stationary portion within casing 9 to give it purchase, in a manner superfluous to illustrate. The wind up shaft may be engaged by a Winding key or handle and wound until the spring 4| is drawn into small compass, ready to operate the gearing 38 and 39 and sprocket 31 and thereby the escapement 35 as in any typical clockwork. Certain details of this clockwork are not fully disclosed, as such apparatus is so old and Well known that it is hardly necessary to show in all respects, as such details may also differ according to the taste of the manufacturer. Be that as it may, the escapement lever 32 has a downward exten sion 42 formed into a bell hammer disposed in the vicinity of a bell 43 secured by a screw or rivet 44 to the casing bottom 45 in such position that when the spring actuates the hammer 42 through the escapement parts, this hammer will strike the bell and thereby sound an alarm.

The arrangement is such that when the apparatus is to be wound up and set for action, the lid I1 is first unlocked and raised to provide access to the upper end 25 of trigger 26, so that the finger 35 may be inserted to depress the trigger into the first or full line position shown in Figures 2 and 3, which brings locking lug 3| of the trigger down on lug 34 of escapement lever 32, preventing operation thereof by sprocket 37. A winding key (not shown) is inserted on winding shaft 4:1 and the spring 4| wound up into its compact condition ready to drive gear 39, but blocked by lever 32 having its escapement bracket 36 held stationary by the lever itself being locked by trigger lug 31. The exteriorly accessible lever I4 is then partly rotated clockwise to lower the roller [5, when the inner vane or lug 24 will be lowered to horizontal position as shown, wherein it engages the top of the trigger and prevents it effectively from being raised by its spring 29. This lever has the horizontal shaft portion 23 thereof rotatably mounted in bearing 46 on a bracket 47 secured to rear casing wall 28 already referred to. On the exposed part of this shaft portion 23 is fixed an upright lug 48, while in corresponding manner, the casing has a pair of fixed external lugs 49, 49 spaced a small distance apart soas to be capable of receiving the lug 48 between them when shaft portion 23 is axially displaced inward by hand to disable operation of the device when the householder is to remain indoors and the window is to be raised and lowered in normal service.

Assuming that the alarm is wound up and it is to be set for operation, the lid I! is of course locked, the lever pulled out to disengage lug 48 from between lugs 49, 49, and roller l5-allowed to come to rest against window sash 6. This sash may be partly open for the night, for example, as shown in Figure 1, and as long as the sash is not raised much further, roller I will remain against the sash. If, however, some stray party from the outside essays to raise the window suificiently to allow roller and thus lever I4 to swing outward beyond the lower end of the sash, the vane 34 on horizontal shaft portion 23 is raised into the position indicated at 50, which immediately releases the trigger and allows spring 29 to raise locking lug 3i and the trigger past lug 2 to the position indicated at 5|, the end traveling upward the distance indicated by arrow 52, while lug 3i occupies the raised clearance position indicated at 53. The upper lug 34 of escapement lever 32 is then free and the lever is instantly operated by escapement 36 and sprocket 37 through gearing 38 and 39. At the same time, the lever 14 cannot be normally restored to inactive position by rotating it partly in clockwise direction, as the trigger blocks vane 24 and prevents it from depressing the top 25 of the trigger. Thus, even if the intruder gets into the house and reaches the alarm, he cannot shut it or in any way stop its operation to sound bell 43 by hammer 42 of escapement lever 32 repeatedly striking it in response to rotation of sprocket 31. Instead, the alarm will continue until spring 4| becomes unwound. In order to stop the alarm device from operating, it would be necessary to unlock lid 5'! and with finger depress trigger as already referred to in connection with Figure 3. The device may then be wound and set again as described.

Not only windows can be thus protected, for even a door 54 hinged in the door frame 55 may be protected by an alarm device 56 embodying the invention and similar to that outlined above. The exteriorly exposed lever 51 has its contact roller 53 bearing normally against a short plate secured upon the edge 69 of door 54 in such position that the roller will also bear against the plate in fully closed position of the door. Of

' course, if desired, plate 59 may even be a large block displacing roller 58 a short distance to the right when the door is closed. In any event, when the door is opened by an intruder, lever 51 will have its roller run off plate 59, past the door, and will cause operation of the interior mechanism sounding the enclosed bell.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A self-contained, mechanical sounding alarm device for a door or a window opening comprising a closed casing mounted upon the door or window involved, a spring operated clockwork within the casing having an escapement lever with a bell hammer on one portion thereof, a bell mounted within the casing adjacent to the bell hammer to be sounded by the same when the escapement lever is operated by the clockwork, a crank lever partly rotatable in the casing and extending therefrom with an end disposed adjacent to the door or window sash to be protected, a contact roller upon the end of the crank lever, a lug rotatable with said lever, a trigger slidably mounted within the casing, a locking lug fixedly carried by said trigger and adapted to engage the said escapment lever when said trigger is in a lowered position, the upper end of said trigger being laterally bent and adapted to be engaged by said lug on said crank when said trigger is in a lowered position, spring means normally urging said locking lever and trigger upwardly out of engagement with said escapement lever, said casing adjacent the laterally bent portion of said trigger having an opening, a closure removable from said opening and releasable means for locking said closure in said opening whereby to prevent access to the interior of said casing by unauthorized persons after rotation of said crank and release of said trigger and escapement lever to insure continued sounding of the alarm.

2. An alarm device according to claim 1, said 15 crank being slidable longitudinally within the casing and fixedly carrying an upwardly extending lug, and a pair of laterally spaced, downwardly extending lugs fixedly carried by the casing and adapted to receive said first lug therebetween to prevent rotation of said crank upon inward movement of said crank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 506,040 Hartman Oct. 3, 1893 773,165 Smith Oct. 25, 1904 2,521,858 Levy Sept. 12, 1950 

